Budding Chef

In an effort to keep Indio busy this summer we signed up for *Little Chefs*, a free cooking class organized by Ontario Early Years Centres. I was hesitant at first because the class is timed perfectly with Indio's nap and I didn't want to risk a cranky toddler every week, but he's been a trooper and has sacrificed his midday snooze for a little culinary education.

We have only attended 2 classes so far, but both have been loads of fun! We start the class with a circle of songs and stories and then get right into cooking. The instructors are great about teaching routines such washing your hands before cooking, waiting your turn [some seem to struggle with this one!], learning about the different food groups and actually measuring and mixing the ingredients. It's quite amazing to watch a room full of toddlers so engaged in creating their own snack!

During our first class we baked blueberry muffins and made watermelon juice. Indio loved pouring ingredients into bowls to prepare the muffin batter. However, he had a hard time grasping the fact that he couldn't just eat the watermelon off the plate instead of actually cutting it to put it in the blender.

pouring flour

mmmmuffin!

The end result was delicious, and I'm not just saying that as a proud mama. I think even pastry-chef-in-the-making, Summer, would be impressed! We ate the muffin hot out of the oven and Indio drank his juice so quickly that I'm not sure he even tasted it!

"mom, may i have a real knife?"

so refreshing!

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212 days under our belts

Indio is officially more than halfway to his 1st birthday. Wow, that was scary to type. I know I've said it before, but I really can't believe where the time has gone. And even more, I can't believe how much our little guy has changed -- from the 6lb squirmy bundle we brought home in December to this active, personable 18lb little boy he has grown into.

Inchworm

Our recent move to Toronto has brought about a lot of changes for our family, including more space for Indy and Cassius to roam and explore, both in and out of the house. Though he isn't crawling, Indio gets up on all fours and scoots his way around like our very own inchworm. His favoured mode of transportation these days is rolling here and there. He's quick, so we have to keep an eye on him at all times. He is very comfortable sitting up, which serves us well when we are feeding him.

Indio & Cassius tired of the papparazzi

We are elbow-deep in the solids adventure and Indio's favorite food right now is nectarine, though he really hasn't shown a dislike to anything so far. Since going the route of baby-led weaning [read about it here], Indio has become more of a participant at mealtime, which is really just tasty playtime for him! We have given up trying to wipe him clean after eating, and opt to dunk him in the tub instead! It's much more efficient at getting all the fruit bits out of the creases.

The best way to eat is in your skivvies

The talking is hilarious! Indy has conversations with us, with Cassius, and sometimes with himself. A common scene in our house is E and I trying to sleep during the wee hours of the morning while Indy kicks, blows spit bubbles, and talks to us. Who needs an alarm clock when you have a baby? *Dada* was officially his first word, though I use the term "word" loosely because Indio has no idea that E is dada and just babbles *dadadada* for everything. It's crazy to hear the growth in the number of sounds he can make as each day passes.

Today, Indy and I went to a Mother Goose class at the local Ontario Early Years Centre [OEYC]. It's a free program available to anyone with young children. This class was geared towards babies aged 0-12 months. There were 22 babies in the class! Along with rhymes [most of which I didn't know...am I out of the loop?], we did a *craft* of hand/footprints [I hope this ink comes out of Indy's clothes.]. Snack was also served, though we were too busy washing our hands to partake in eating cucumber, honeydew, Arrowroot cookies, and coffee. Indy enjoyed the rhymes and *sang* along with me, but he screamed as if he were being tortured during the craft portion.

Mother Goose at OEYC

It's been a whirlwind of activity recently and the time is just flying by. If I could slow it down, I would, but for now, I'll just try to capture the memories.

CN Tower family photo op

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